Pickling apparatus



May 17, 1932. F; HAW I 1,859,086

PIGKLING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 10, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR flan/m May 17, 1932, F. HAMM PICKLING APPARATUS Filed Nov. '10, 1930' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May '17, 1932. F. HAMM PICKLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 10. 19:50

INVENTOR Patented May 17, 1932 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC FRED HAMM OF MARTIN S FERRY, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO WHEELING BRONZE CASTING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA PIGKLING arrmmrns Applicationflled November 10, 1930. Serial No. 494,496.

, My invention relates to pickling apparatus,

particularly to apparatus'for pickling metal rods, bars, tubes, pipes, and other elongate lngs of metal.

. pickling it is-desirable that the scale, whlch is invariably present upon the metal to be pickled. may be loosened and removed from all surfaces. It is desirable to subject the de-scaled surfaces to the action of the pickling bath; not only to the chemical action of the bath, but also to a mechanical scrubbing and washing action. It is further desirable that the material to be pickled may. be quickly loaded into and unloaded from the pickling apparatus. The object of my invention is'to provide means which may be associated with a pickling tank for the accomplishment of these desiderata with particular efliciency.

Economy inthe installation and operation of the apparatus, and simplicity in its struc-' ture are also objects in mind. Other objects.

will present themselves in the following specificatiom v In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speclficatiom'Fig. I,,1s aview 111 plan from above of a pickling tank which is prov' led with instrumentalities in accordance'with my invention. Fig. II is a view of the apparatus in side elevation. Fig .III is a sectional view taken on the plane III-III of Fig. -II, showing in end elevation the pickling tank, and illustrating in detailthe mechanical linkages forthe handling of the material to be pickled. Figs. IV, V and VI are schematic views of the above mentioned linkages, showing the same in three'difl'erent stages of their operation. And Fig. VII-is a side elevation of the pickling apparatus, showing a modification in the arrangement My apparatus comprises a'tank, conveniently a rectangular tank 1, adapted to retain a pickling bath of acid. A plurality of standards 2 is disposed along each of the sides 10 of the ta'nlnand at their upper termini the standards 2 have each a bearing 3 for revolubly supporting the shafts 4 and 5, which are disposed above the top edges of the tanks sides 10. At one end of the tank, means are :ard 11, and has secured to its terminus an eccentric or pitman 12. Adjustably secured stationed to effect oscillation ofthese shafts; the character of these oscillations will be hereinafter described, and for the present,

1 only the means for moving the shafts 4 and to each ofg 'the'shafts 4 and 5 (Fig. III) is an arm (arms 13 and 14 respectively), andpivotally connected at its one end to the arm 13 and at its other end to the pitman 12 is a link 15.- Two links 16 and 17, which links are pivotally interconnected at 18, serve as a connecting linkage between the pitman 12 and the arm 14. Rotation of the shaft 9 and pitman 12 effects the oscillation of each of the shafts'4 and 5 through a fraction of a revolution, the fraction of a revolution through which the shaft 4 is oscillated being unequal to that through which the shaft 5 is moved.

Secured, say by means of set screws 19, to the shaft 4 are several arms 20. .These arms 20 extend from the shaft toward the tank and are disposed in spaced intervals along its length, as appears in Fig. I. Aflixed to the shaft 5, opposite the arms 20, are arms 21, and each pair of opposed arms 20, 21 carries a'cradle @nember 22. A link 23 afiords anarticular donnection between one leg of the cradle 22 and its associated arm 20, anda link 24 gives a like connection between the other leg of the cradle and its associated arm 21. So, each opposed pair of armsg20, 21 together with their associated links 23, 24, suspends a cradle member-conveniently, a sepa-. rate, rigid U shaped cradle member 22. The manner in which these cradles 22 move in response to the oscillations of the shafts 4 and 5 is a matter of importance tothe effective: working and shifting of the. material which" is within the tank for pickling.

In Figs. III to VI inclusive, I indicate in end elevation a group' 'G of metallic rounds within the tank 1 for pickling. When the rounds (or other stock to be pickled) are first 1 associated linkages are desirably, although not necessarily, in the position in which they are indicated in Fig. III. Manifestly, ac-

cess is thereby had for the ready immersion of the stock below the surface of the pickling bath; such surface'of the bath is indicated by the broken line B.

Within the bath, the stock is not continu- 'ously supported by the cradles 22; indeed,

when the cradles are in their lowermost position (Fig. III), the stock is borne by auxiliary means which advantageously comprise several supports 25. The supports 25 are secured at their ends to the opposite sides 10 of the tank 1; they are shaped to converge downward, and in their lower portions they are of angular form; that is to say, the sup. ports 25 are; each W-shaped to provide two pockets 26 and 27. As maybe seen in Figs. I and II, one support 25 is (conveniently) located adjacent each cradle 22, and the-stock to be pickled rests upon these supports when the cradles 22 are in their lowermost position (Fig. III). I

To better understand the operation of the apparatus, I shall describe what takes place during one revolution of the shaft 9, assuming for illustration that the shaft revolves counter clockwise in Figs. III to VI. At the start of this illustrative revolution the pitman 12 and-its associated links, the shafts 4 and 5 with their arms 20 and 21, the links 23 and .24, and the cradles 22are in the position shown in Fig. III. In such position it will be noted that the group G of material to be ickled rests upon the fixed supports 25. and

elow the surface B of the bath. As the shaft 9 moves from the position in which it is shown in .Fig'. III, the shaft 4, by means of the arm 13 and link 15, is revolved counter cloc 'se,

, the arms 20 are moved upward, an 7 the cradles 22 are, accordingly, raised and tilted to theposition shown in Fig. IV. During this movement of the mechanical elements which are recited'above, the cradles 22 riseagainst the. stock G, and lift it. Be- ,cause of the tilting of the cradles 22 the bars of stock to the left in the group G are raised higher than those to the right. Such a. raising and tilting causesa left-to-right shifting of the bars, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. IV. In this shifting the bars roll upon themselves and rub their surfaces against one another. The bars" in the upper courses of the group G are caused to roll rather freely toward the right. and. in so rolling they eventually come with considerable impact against others of their fellow'bars. This im act of the bars aga nst one another. as

wel as their rolling and abrading against each other, is of great advantage in effecting the removal of surface scale. Particularly in 'the' case of pickling tubes is the impact feature advantageous, in that the removal of scribed. g I To give a general idea of how the bars shift scale on the inner walls'of the tubes (which removal of scale has always been quite diflicult) is greatly facilitated.

Continuing rotation of ,the shaft '9, to the position indicated in Fig. V, further revolves the shaft 4 counterclockwise, and in this particular stage of the rotationof shaft 9, the shaft 5, which (due to the character of theconnecting members 16,- 17 and 14) has until now moved only slightly, is moved appre-' ciably in clockwise rotation. Consequently, the cradles 22 are so raised that none of the bars rest upon the supports .25; the tilting of Y the cradles is increased/to agreater degree,-

and the combined raising and tilting of the bars is'accomplished to such an extent that some of the bars are lifted above the surface B of the acid, It is to be remarked that the lifting of the bars out of the bath is an important feature of my invention.

-' In so raising the stock which is being pickled above the bath. much of the acid in immediate contact with the surfaces of the stock falls away. and, as a result, the stock is subjected to the air and acid fumes existing over the bath. The chemical activity in pickling. accordingly, has been found to be improved and quickened: and, when the stock is again lowered intothe bath, as it indeed is lowered, fresh acid. so to speak. comes'into active contact with surfaces of the stock. The rolling and bumping of the bars upon themselves continues. while the stock continues its shifting in the manner indicated bv the arrows in Fig. V.

As the shaft 9 and its associated linkages turn toward the positions in which they are shown in Fig. VI, the cradles 22 are lowered; and their inclination. as they so lower, is lessened. The group G of bars settles again within the bath of acid. while as a group the bars tend'to flatten out in the manner indicated bv the arrows. moves the mechanism back into the position in which it isillustrated in Fig; and the group of bars again settle uponfthe supports 25. When the cradles lower into approximately such position, as to deposit the stock once again upon the supports 25. they (the cradles) shift abruptly in a right-to-left direction. asindicated by the arrow which is ap lied immediately to the cradle 22 in Fig. VI. This shifting of the cradles tends Continued rotation uted in Fig. III. Although it does not con: spicuouslv appear in the drawings. the link 24 is slightly longer-21 few inches--than the link 23. and this difference in the lengths of these two links, together with the, characteristics of the other linksof the mechanism, furthers the operationof the device as deand roll, I'have-shaded cross-hatching) teriors of thetubes is very desirable.

the end of one bar, and in noting the position of this shaded bar in each of Figs. III to VI, the travel or movement of each bar, and of the group, during continuous rotation of the shaft 9, maybe realized. In brief, the bars are caused severally to rotate about'their own axes, while they tumble upon themselves, and as a group revolve.

I have discovered that the apparatus may be elaborated to obtain an advantage which is-of particular merit in the pickling of tubes. The elaboration also, as a matter of fact, finds applicability in the pickling of solid rods and bars. I

Instead of having the lower, bar-supporting portions of cradles 22 extending in such manner as to sustain the bars. as a group, in.

a horizontal plane, the several pairs (20, 21 of arms may be so adjusted (by means of the set screws 19) on their respective shafts 4 and 5 that the cradles 22 will carry the tubes. which are being pickled, at an angle to the horizontal. That is. the tubes when lifted by the .cradles may be caused to assume an being that the tubes, as they are shifted in the bath and particularly when they are raised above the bath. to the position indicated by the line C in Fig. VII, shall be inclined to the horizontal The ensuing advantage of this disposition of the tubes is that acid is caused to gravitate through the tubes. The gravitation or flowing of acid within the tubes is most marked, of course, when the tubes are lifted above the bath; it is then that the acid flows rapidly, carrying with it the scale which has been loosened on the inner walls of the tubes. This mechanical cleansing of the in- Other attending advantages are that air reaches the inner surfaces of. the tubesand hastens the chemical cleansing action, and that so-called new acid is brought into contact with the inner, as well as the outer walls of the tubes when they are again immersed.

My apparatus is more effective in removing scale. it performs the pickling operation in less time, and in general is more efficient than pickling devices now in use.

I claim 'as my invention:

1. The method of pickling a group of elongate things of metal, which comprises the steps of immersing the group in a pickling bath, alternately raising, lowering and'tilt about their longitudinal axes and to tumble against one another, by revolving the group as a whole progressively upon itself.

2. The method of pickling a group of elongate things of metal, whichcomprises the periodically raising members of such inclined group to a position above the surface of said bath.

3. In combination with a tank containing a bath of pickling fluid, a plurality of rigid, spaced cradles in said tank for the support of the material to be pickled, and means to effect a series of movements of thecradles within the tank, which movements comprise an alternate raising and lowering of the cradles. wherein one end of each cradle during each of the raising movements is raised a greater distance than its other end.

4. In combination with a tank containing abath of pickling fluid, a plurality of cradles in said tank for the support of material to be pickled, which cradles are as a combined body longitudinally inclined to the horizontal, and means to effect a series of movements of the cradles within the tank, which movements comprise an alternate raising and lowering of the cradles, the one end of each cradle during its raising movement being raised a greater distance than its other end. i

5. In combination with a tank containing bars Within a pickling bath, a second set of supports, and means for effecting a raising, lowering and tilting: of said second setof supports, whereby said'bars are periodically lifted from said first-mentioned supporting means and revolved, severally,.a'nd as a group, and then returned to said irregular faces of said first-mentioned supports.

7. In combination with a tank containing a bath of pickling fluid, a set of supports for the material to be pickled, a second set of supports, and means for effecting a combined bodily raising, lowering and tilting of salct second set of supports, whereby said material is periodically lifted from said first-mentioned supports, and then -'agitated and returned to'rest upon said first-mentioned set ofsupports.

8.;The method of pickling a group of elongatethings of metal, which comprises the steps of immersing the group in a pickling bath, alternately raising the group from a support, tilting the group, and returning the group to a position uponthe support, thus causing the members of the group to rotate severally about their longitudinal axis and ,to jar against one another, by revolving the group as" a whole. 9. The method of pickling a group of elongate things ofmetal, which comprisesthe steps of immersing the group in a pickling bath, alternately raising the group from a support, tilting the group, and returning the group to a position upon the support, thus causing the members of the group to rotate eve ally about their longitudinal axis and ar against one another, by revolving the group as a whole, and, as the group is so raised and revolved, effecting a shifting of certain members of such group to a position above the surface of said ickling, bath.

In testimony whereof have hereunto set my hand.

FRED HAMM. 

